CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: UMMA’s Apse Has Been Rebuilt Before — Here’s What It Used to Look Like

We closed Alumni Memorial Hall in January to begin a major renovation project on the building’s century-old marble floors. Periodically during construction, we’ll check-in here with construction updates and history tidbits.

As tile removal has finished along the iconic spiral stairwell in Alumni Memorial Hall, it offers a reminder that these have not always been the only stairs in the space. In fact, in the 1960s, the space looked dramatically different from the open room many visitors know today.

UMMA moved into Alumni Memorial Hall in 1946 after becoming its own administrative unit. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Museum leadership at the time reimagined the Apse by quite literally creating a space within a space. As seen in the historic images below, a modern structure reminiscent of scaffolding and office cubicles was installed in the center of the room, introducing new gallery walls, additional floors and levels, and multiple staircases.

This addition created extra surfaces for displaying art and transformed the experience of moving through the gallery, showing how the building has continually evolved to meet the needs of the Museum and its visitors.

Curious what art was on the wall during this time period? Check out this myUMMA group for a selected list.

Looking at today’s construction progress images, you can see that workers have finished pouring the subfloor that will support the new marble. And seeing the space in two states across time is a reminder that campus spaces live many many lives. What do you make of this mid-century take on the Apse? A design dream or a dated dud?

New marble should start arriving soon, and we’ll continue sharing updates as work progresses.